Feeding device for centrifuges



1967 F. w. SCHNEIDER ETAL 3,302,793

FEEDING DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGES Filed June 25, 1963 J n yenfor:

United States Patent 1 Claim. oi. 210-410 The present invention relates to a feeding device for centrifuges in general and to a device for feeding largepieced or longitudinally-shaped fly goods of fluidity into preferably horizontally disposed centrifuges.

It is known to use, for the feeding of fly goods con sisting of a mixture of solid goods and liquid, input tubes, feeding screws or swing grooves. Input tubes are used mostly in such instances, when material capable of flowing is to be fed. Feeding screws and conveyor tubes are suitable for heavily flowing to sprayable fly goods and swing grooves are suitable only for sprayable products.

Conveyor bands are normally excluded as feeding devices, since the space conditions do not permit the incorporation thereof into this device. This applies particularly for smaller and medium machine sizes.

The limits of applicability of the mentioned feeding devices overlap partly, so that in many instances different feeding types are possible.

All previously mentioned types are not operative, how ever, either totally or partly, in case the goods to be fed are of large flaked or longitudinally-shaped, relatively dry and voluminous constitution. An example for such goods to be fed is pressed out curled wool.

The problem during flying of curled wool resides in the reduction to still lower wetness of the wool which is soaked with weakened sulfuric acid for the purpose of cleaning and which is predehydrated to about 60-70% by means of continuously operating pressure rollers. The feeding of the predehydrated curled wool, which arrives in lengths of l005(l0 mm., into centrifuges is extremely difficult with the above described conventional means, particularly if horizontally supported centrifuges are dealt with. The use of horizontally disposed input tubes is to be eliminated, for the reason that the capability of flowing is missing. The feeding by means of conveyor screws is likewise impossible with the screw measurements which are available, because the long wool pieces wind up about the screw shaft and about the screw threads and, thereby, a conveyance is prevented.

Conveyor tubes must be eliminated, because the individual wool lengths are spinned to nearly inseparable strands and are felted and, thereby, they make the feeding into the centrifuge drum likewise impossible. In addition a felting of the wool is of disadvantage for the after-processing.

The use of swing conveyor grooves and of swing con veyor tubes is possible only in case of a short-fibered wool, whereby, however, already an inclination to felt ing and spinning takes place. In case of long-fibered wool these difficulties increase to such an extent, that an entirely satisfactory feeding is impossible.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a feeding device for centrifuges, which avoids the drawbacks of the known feeding types and which permits a safely operating and material saving feeding particularly of large curled or longitudinally shaped fly goods.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a feeding device for centrifuges wherein the feeding tube is connected with a pressurized liquid source which feeds the fly goods by means of pressurized air or by means of pressurized liquid into the centrifuge drum.

With these and other objects in view, which will be come apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which the only figure is an axial section of a continuously operating slide centrifuge showing schematically the feeding device for curled wool.

Referring now to the drawing, the present structure comprises a centrifuge housing 1 wherein a sieve drum 2 having a reciprocating slide bottom 3, which sieve drum 2 is rotatably mounted in the centrifuge housing 1. The sieve drum 2. is surrounded by the filtrate receiving housing 4- having a filtrate outlet branch 5 and a solid goods receiving housing 6 with the corresponding outlet branch 7.

A feeding device 8 terminates: in the centrifuge drum and comprises a tube 9, a filling hopper 10 and a blower 11. A conveyor band 12 serves the feeding of the feeding device with fly goods.

The operation of the centrifuge is as follows:

The wool pieces 13 which have been dehydrated by means of pressure rollers (not shown) are thrown off from the conveyor band 12 into the filling hopper 10 and enter, thereby, the tube 9, where they are gripped by the air stream produced in the blower 11 and are thrown toward the slide bottom 3. Due to the rotation of the slide bottom 3, the wool pieces 13 are centrifuged towards the sieve drum 2 and form therein a socalled centrifuge cake, which is advanced stepwise in the direction to the solid goods receiving housing 6 and finally thrown off into the housing 6. The liquid centrifuged in the sieve drum 2 from the centrifuge cake is received, in the filtrate receiving housing 4 and fed off through the filtrate output branch 5. The dehydrated wool leaves the centrifuge through the output branch 7.

The dehydration of the wool in the described manner is performed automatically and continuously. No attendance is required during this operation.

It is of course also possible to take the pressurized air from an often available pressurized air net-work instead of from the blower 11. Suitably, in order to economize on the pressurized air, an air nozzle (not shown) is disposed at the rear end of the tube 9, which creates a sharp air stream.

Basically, it is also possible, as long as the after-processing of the fly goods permits, to perform the blowing with a liquid stream in the same: manner as with a pressurized air stream.

The device designed in accordance with the present invention makes possible a safe and no service requiring feeding of large curled, longitudinally-shaped, relatively dry and voluminous fly goods. In the particular case of dehydration of curled wool it creates the condition for the automatic and, thereby, economic centrifuging of this product, which could not be brought about with the conventional feeding methods.

As further applications of the device, designed in accordance with the present invention, are to be named the possibilities of feeding of foamed artificial products, cell W001, cotton and wood shavings. The applicable possibilities are, however, not yet exhausted by these examples.

While We have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being detenmined by the objects and the claim.

We claim:

A centrifuge including a device for feeding of particularly large curled, longitudinally shaped fly goods of a predetermined fluidity, comprising a centrifuge housing,

a sieve drum rotatably mounted in said centrifuge housing and having a reciprocating slide bottom and being open at its end opposite said slide bottom,

a filtrate receiving housing having a filtrate outlet branch and surrounding said sieve drum,

a solid goods receiving housing disposed adjacent said filtrate receiving housing and communicating With said open end of said sieve drum and having a solid goods outlet :branch, 7

a substantially straight feeding tube entering into and having one end terminating Within said sieve drum,

a hopper communicating with said feeding tube intermediate its ends and adapted to feed fly goods of a predetermined fluidity into said feeding tube, and

a source of pressurized fluid operatively connected with the other end of said feeding tube, in order to convey said fly goods into said sieve drum.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,991,887 7/1961 Wirth et a1 210-376 3,133,563 5/1964 Smith 233-l'7 3,192,965 7/1965 Smith 23327 REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

20 1. DE CESARE, Assistant Examiner. 

